Mystery's Short Stories.

'Do you know what it feels like to lose a child?'

If I owned the MCU Tony and Natasha wouldn't have died, Thanos wouldn't have snapped.

I'm sorry this is sad, but it has a happy ending. I'm sorry. I hope to only do one more story that takes place after Infinity War after that Endgame and Infinity War are dead to me. I just wanted an emotional Tony Stark speech. I've seen this idea before but I don't know who gave me the idea.

--Mystery

He had come back missing his son. He had come back with a hole in his heart where the joyful child once filled. The well-mannered boy who started being a superhero because he could not because he was forced into it. The boy who had slowly but surely made his way into an ice-cold hearted man's heart and made a home there. The very same boy who one man had installed countless protocols to make sure the boy wasn't hurt.

This boy had been his all. Besides Pepper, Rhodey, and Happy the boy had seen through the mask he put on for the paparazzi and straight into the man beneath. This boy had gotten him to smile truly smile again. The very first thing Tony Stark said to Pepper Potts was that he lost the kid.

Tony Stark lost one bright spark in his life.

When Tony got back, he spent countless hours in the lab, never leaving unless he came across one of his old files. A project not yet completed waiting for its creator to return to it. Tony thought that day would never come so he grieved. He grieved for the loss of Peter Parker as some knew him and for the loss of Spider-Man as others knew him.

He grieved for the loss of his son. Tony Stark grieved with the world.

Tony hadn't just lost a family member he lost a piece of himself. A very small much better piece of himself.

Steve Rogers noticed the Tony Stark barely came out of his lab and when he did, he was crying. Crying like he lost someone and found something that reminded him of that person. As far as he knew Tony Stark, genius, billionaire, former playboy, philanthropist had lost nothing. He still had Rhodey, Pepper, and Happy. While Steve had lost his two best friends. Steve had lost both Sam Wilson and Bucky.

Each time Tony would come out of the lab Rhodey, Pepper, or Happy would be there with a knowing reassuring smile and a request for Tony to get some sleep but Tony's answer was always the same.

"I can't not while there might be a chance to get him back. He was brilliant the world needs more people like him."

Not once did Tony's schedule change not until Steve confronted him about it.

"What makes you think you have the right to hole yourself up in your lab and do nothing, while the rest of us out of here are do our dam best to try and get the people we lost back. You lost nothing yet you look like you lost everything. You still have Pepper, Rhodey, and Happy. I lost both Sam and Bucky. Natasha lost Wanda. Wakanda lost a king and a princess. Trillions of others lost family, but you lost nothing," Steve said one day after Tony came out of his lab almost in tears from seeing a project Peter made, something they were going to work on together. The day of the snap was supposed to be a lab day. They were supposed to start the project, but they never got to. They went on a spaceship with aliens and a wizard then they fought an alien who snapped and made half the universe disappear.

"You wanna know what I lost Rogers. I lost a son. You know there's a word for someone like me someone without parents. There called an orphan, but do you know what the word is for someone who lost a child. No because there is no word for something like that. Do you know what it feels like to lose a child Rogers? Of course, you don't you lost a friend and while that may hurt a lot it is nothing compared to losing a child. I watched as my child begged and pleaded to stay. I watched as his healing factor tried to stich him back together piece by piece and he felt every minute of it. He was in agony the whole time. No one else felt a thing, yet my child, my incredibly brave, stupid, selfless, genius child felt every single minute of it. The rest just disappeared no pain nothing. They just drifted off, yet my child he had the biggest heart and felt every single bit as he disappeared. His last words were apologizing for something he had no control over. He did the right thing, and he paid the price for it. He died in my arms. The world to them they lost Spider-Man on that planet but me. I lost Peter Parker a kind, selfless, intelligent, reliant, loyal, 17-year-old. He was the one who pieced me back together after you slammed your shield in my chest. He stood by and helped me through the panic attacks when Pepper, Happy, or Rhodey couldn't. This kid was so good he declined being on the Avengers just to continue helping the little guy. This kid continued to be a superhero after I took the suit in a poor lapse of judgment trying to keep him safe. He continued to do the right thing no matter the circumstances or how hard the choice was. He had to leave his homecoming date by herself to stop her dad. He didn't want to, but he did, and in doing so he saved millions of lives. Peter Parker wasn't just Spider-Man, Spider-Man was Peter Parker. Peter Parker once told me 'When you can do the things, I can do but you don't that's when the bad things happen.' He lost his Uncle who he had fought with a few hours before. His uncle told him, 'With great power comes great responsibility.' That's what pushed Peter to become who he did. Peter Parker was the best of us all and now. Now I'm trying to get my son back and the best superhero the world has ever known."

A few months later and everyone was back exactly like Tony had promised.

Tony searched the crowd of people looking for the iron spider suit or maybe even just a mop of fluffy brown hair.

There in the corner searching.

Tony ran up to his kid and hugged him while saying, "Bambino sei qui il tuo finalmente torna con me." (baby you are here your finally back with me.)

"Sì papà, sono tornato. Sono finalmente tornato," (Yes dad, I'm back. I'm finally back) Peter replied in the same language

The father/son duo continued conversing in Italian for some minutes before anyone else found them. It was May who knew what was being said so she left the two alone to talk in Italian where no one else knew what was being said. Natasha was the second one to find them also knowing the language and the emotional exchange going on she slunk back into the shadows to let the father/son duo be. Other people found the father/son duo and continued on their way maybe not understanding the language but from the gestures of the boy and the man it was clear that emotions were being shared.

People were reunited all over the world, but yet this story was the most heart touching to all who heard it. The great Tony Stark conversing in a different language with someone and clear emotional baggage being aired but both faces never lost the loving look of father and son. People learned the Tony Stark reversed the Snap because he lost his son in it and wanted him back. The world learned that there is nothing Tony Stark won't do for his son. Steve Rogers learned that sometimes Tony was carrying the most emotional damage just hid it very well through snark and annoying nicknames.

All in all, though everything was good in the world again.